Stockholm City Hall

Stockholm City Hall: The Nobel Banquet Room, the Golden Hall, and What Visitors Can Actually See

Stockholms Stadshus (Stockholm City Hall) is a brick building completed in 1923 on the island of Kungsholmen, beside the water where the Riddarfjarden bay meets Lake Malaren. The architect was Ragnar Ostberg and the building took 12 years to construct. It is considered one of the finest examples of Swedish National Romantic architecture, a style that blends medieval Norse imagery with Renaissance forms. The blue and gold tower is 106 metres tall and functions as a visual landmark for most of central Stockholm.

The building is still a working city hall, housing the City Council chamber and administration. Most of the interior is accessible only on guided tours, which run daily throughout the year in multiple languages. Adult admission is 130 SEK. Tours last approximately 45 minutes.

What the Tours Cover

The Blue Hall is the first large space on the tour and the name is misleading. The original plan called for the brick walls to be plastered and painted blue; Ostberg saw how good the bare red brick looked and changed his mind. The “Blue Hall” name had already been established in construction documents and stuck. The room is used for the Nobel Prize Banquet dinner in December, seating 1,300 people. The gallery above the main floor is where the orchestra plays. The acoustics were not designed for a banquet hall and are correspondingly awkward for music, but this has not changed the tradition.

The Golden Hall (Gyllene Salen) is on the upper floor and is where the Nobel Prize gala dancing takes place after the banquet. The walls and ceiling are covered with approximately 18 million gold mosaic tiles depicting scenes from Swedish history in a Byzantine-influenced style. The figure at the far end, facing you as you enter, is the City of Stockholm represented as a queen between West and East; Byzantine-style flat gold figures extend on either side. The room’s scale and the density of the gold surface make it one of the more visually striking interiors in any Scandinavian city.

The Council Chamber is not always accessible during tours, depending on council business. When open, it shows the Viking-era ship prow design incorporated into the chamber structure and the organ at the back of the room.

The Tower

The tower is open from May through September and requires a separate ticket (60 SEK). The climb involves an elevator to a certain level and then a staircase to the observation level, from which the entire Stockholm archipelago is visible on clear days. The three crowns at the top of the tower are gilded copper and represent the Swedish national emblem; they are visible from most of central Stockholm. The view from the tower north toward Gamla Stan, east toward the water, and west across Kungsholmen is the best elevated view of the city accessible to visitors without a drone or a boat.

The Waterfront and Garden

The city hall garden at the water’s edge is publicly accessible without a tour ticket and is one of the better spots in central Stockholm to sit on the water. The building’s south facade and the brick arcade along the waterfront are designed to be seen from the water; the view from the opposite bank of Riddarfjarden, near Sodermalm, gives the building its most dramatic profile. A short walk east along the waterfront brings you to the bridge crossing to Gamla Stan.

Getting There

The Stadshuset is a 10-minute walk from Stockholm Central Station westward along Kungsbroplan. The T-Centralen metro stop is the closest underground option. Several bus lines stop on Hantverkargatan directly outside the building.

Eating Near City Hall

The city hall sits in the Kungsholmen neighbourhood, which has a good set of local restaurants and cafes along Hantverkargatan and Scheelegatan that are not priced for tourists. Petite France, a French bakery and cafe on John Ericssonsgatan about 5 minutes away, is a reliable stop for lunch.

For a view alongside the meal, the Stadshuskajen is a restaurant on the waterfront terrace of the City Hall that operates in summer months and serves Swedish food with the water and Gamla Stan skyline visible.

Combining with Gamla Stan

Stockholm’s old city (Gamla Stan) is a 15-20 minute walk east from City Hall via Riddarholmen, or a short metro hop to Gamla Stan station. The Royal Palace, the Stortorget square, and the narrow medieval streets are the main draws. The combination of City Hall in the morning and Gamla Stan in the afternoon is a standard and sensible approach for a half-day in central Stockholm.